before me, I have endeavoured to help and guide the males under my
influence to fresh modes of industry, and though our success has not
been very great, it is at least encouraging.

"Our first work of a secular kind was to establish a village store;
for, having left Fort Simpson, we soon felt the want of supplies. I may
here explain the Hudson's Bay Company refused to establish a shop in
our midst, and I feared to encourage the trading schooners to come to
us, as they invariably carried intoxicating liquor for sale, so we
determined to keep the village trade in our own hands and appropriate
the profits to the public works of our settlement.

"To this end we first purchased a schooner, one-third of the money
being given by the Governor, Sir James Douglas. The schooner took down
the products of our industry to Victoria, and returned laden with goods
for our store, proving a pecuniary success and a capital training for
the Indians who were employed.

"After some years the Hudson's Bay Company were willing to carry our
freight on their steamer, so we sold the schooner, and I refunded to
the Government account a proportionate part of the sale money.

"The managing of our village trade, principally by Indians, has given
me much anxiety, and exposed me to much slander and abuse from white
traders; but seeing the good results from my efforts in this way to our
settlement I have kept on, and feel loath to give it up till I can hand
it over entirely into the hands of the Natives.

"The first profits of our trade I spent in building a large market-house
and court-house. The market-house was to shelter and accommodate all